Hosapete: Virtually kicking off his party’s campaign for the forthcoming Assembly polls in Karnataka, Congress president, Rahul Gandhi, deftly played on the sympathy of the people here on Saturday, recalling his mother’s connect with Ballari, and tore into the Modi government for failing to come clean on issues like unemployment, farmers' suicides and the Rafale deal.
Launching the party’s ‘Janaashirwada Yatra’ in Hospete, he said the Prime Minister in his hour-long speech in Parliament spoke only of the Congress and its past history, but did not spell out his plans to take India forward. Accusing him of “driving India while looking into the rear-view mirror” Mr Gandhi charged the PM with causing several “accidents” in the process such as demonetisation, the “Gabbar Singh Tax” (GST) and the “Rafale deal scam.”
Questioning the NDA government’s silence on the Rafale deal with France, Mr Gandhi charged that Mr Narendra Modi had “snatched” a contract from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to award it to “his friend.” “Why did you snatch the deal from HAL and award it to your friend? Why did you destroy the bright future of Bengaluru youth? What is the price of each jet fighter? Did PM Modi seek permission from the Cabinet committee on security for this deal?” Mr Gandhi demanded.
